Download DMG
v0.1.28 Universal · Apple Silicon & Intel

Turn Your MacBook Into a Headless Server.
Silent. Cool. Always On.

MacHead is a lightweight, zero-dependency native macOS utility. It logically powers off the internal display at the system level for true lid-closed operation—preventing heat buildup and panel wear while guarding battery health and muting your microphone.

Download for macOS (.dmg) Open Cloud Console
MacHead Web Console hardware monitoring dashboard MacHead macOS preferences window

Purpose-Built for 24/7 Lid-Closed Operation

Engineered from the display controller up to protect your MacBook's thermal envelope, battery longevity, and physical privacy.

True Internal Display Power-Off

Instead of merely dimming brightness, MacHead invokes macOS SkyLight APIs to logically disconnect and cut power to the built-in panel. This eliminates GPU scanout overhead and prevents trapped heat from degrading or yellowing your screen under a closed lid.

Hardware-Level Microphone Mute

An always-on server shouldn't be an open microphone in your home or office. Whenever Headless Mode engages, MacHead automatically mutes the built-in audio input across the system.

Smart Battery & Charge Limit Guard

Cap charging between 50% and 90% to prevent battery swelling on 24/7 AC power. If mains power fails, built-in UPS logic automatically restores system sleep below your safety threshold to prevent deep discharge.

Built-In Keyboard & Trackpad Lockout

When the lid is closed or stacked in a rack, slight pressure can trigger phantom keystrokes. MacHead intercepts and blocks internal keyboard and trackpad events in Headless Mode while keeping external USB and Bluetooth peripherals fully responsive.

MacHead preferences window showing input lockout controls

E2EE Cloud Console & LAN Dashboard

Connect from any browser via MacHead Cloud (dash.headlessmac.com) with Happy Eyeballs 3-track transport (Loopback, LAN WebRTC P2P, and WireGuard E2EE). Access multi-tab web terminals, remote file management, and live CPU/RAM/GPU/thermal telemetry.

MacHead Web Console hardware monitoring and remote controls

Adaptive Display Hot-Plug Recovery

Automatically detects external monitor disconnections and immediately restores your built-in display to prevent black-screen lockouts—then seamlessly re-enters Headless Mode when reconnected.

Native Tunneling & Fleet Monitoring

Ships with built-in clients for Cloudflare Tunnel, Microsoft Dev Tunnels, FRP (frpc), Nezha Monitoring, and ServerStatus. Expose services securely without router port forwarding and monitor your entire Mac homelab fleet in real time.

Interactive Playground

Experience the MacHead CLI and Web Remote Console right in your browser—no installation required.

zsh - machead --help
$ machead status
Mode: NORMAL (Active Screen)
WebServer: RUNNING (http://192.168.100.131:8080)
Sleep Prevention: DISABLED
Power Source: AC Power (Battery 100%)
$ _
Click a command below to run it:
http://192.168.100.131:8080

Up and Running in Three Steps

Zero complex scripts or kernel extensions—ready out of the box in under a minute.

01

Download & Install MacHead

Download the Universal DMG installer and drag the MacHead icon into your Applications folder.

02

Launch from the Menu Bar

Open MacHead to reveal the menu bar icon. Toggle Headless Mode, configure battery charge limits, or bind your MacHead Cloud account in one click.

03

Enable Input & Sleep Guards

Grant Accessibility permission if you want automatic keyboard and trackpad lockout when the lid closes, then close the lid and let your server run.

Changelog

Latest feature releases, security hardening, and platform improvements.

View Full Changelog

Give Your MacBook a Second Life Today

MacHead is 100% free and open source under the Apache-2.0 license, built natively for Apple Silicon and Intel Macs.

Download macOS Universal DMG v0.1.28 Star on GitHub

Frequently Asked Questions

Everything you need to know about running your MacBook as a headless server.

Can I use a MacBook with a cracked or broken screen as a server?

Yes! MacHead logically powers off the internal display via the macOS SkyLight framework and manages virtual display state, so a damaged internal panel is never needed. You can complete the one-time setup using an external monitor or macOS Screen Sharing.

How does MacHead disable the internal display compared to turning brightness down?

Lowering brightness only dims the backlight while the display pipeline stays active. MacHead cuts off the internal display signal at the SkyLight system level, stopping panel power draw and eliminating heat buildup under a closed lid.

How is MacHead different from Clamshell Mode, Amphetamine, or caffeinate?

Native macOS Clamshell Mode requires an external display attached at all times, while caffeinate and Amphetamine only prevent idle sleep. MacHead is a complete headless server suite: display-off operation without dummy HDMI plugs, built-in keyboard/trackpad lockout, microphone mute, smart battery charge limiting (50%–90%), and an E2EE web terminal.

Will running my MacBook 24/7 with the lid closed overheat or damage the battery?

MacHead includes a Smart Charge Limit (50%–90%) to prevent battery swelling on continuous AC power, plus a low-battery UPS guard that restores normal sleep if power is lost. Real-time CPU and battery thermal alerts can also notify you via Bark or Telegram.

Does MacHead work on both Apple Silicon and Intel Macs?

Yes. MacHead ships as a Universal binary supporting all Apple Silicon (M1, M2, M3, M4) and Intel-based MacBooks running macOS Monterey (12.0) or later.

Is MacHead free and open source?

Yes, MacHead is completely free and open source under the Apache-2.0 license. Cloud terminal sessions use WireGuard end-to-end encryption (E2EE) with native password gating, and anonymous telemetry can be toggled off at any time in Preferences.